Chapter 4
Invincible?
Thaddeus hunkered down behind the root system of a fallen tree. The tree itself was long decayed, but the root system was still intact.
He got on his knees and peered around the tree. Ahead was a small hamlet surrounded by a stone wall nestled away in a valley. The structure appeared to be of Human make. Possibly the forgotten remains of a small village or trading post built when life thrived in the Free Lands. Whatever it used to be was of no concern now. The Hoggins had staked claim to it.
The air was crisp, and the sun did not shine as bright. Aside from the confines of the hamlet there appeared to be no other signs of life, plant or animal. He knew right away that he followed the river into the Dead Lands. Thaddeus did not like being in this defiled place. Its reputation alone was enough to make even a man of his renown reconsider his path. He wanted to turn and go in the other direction, but that was not an option. Not with Caleb and Rasmere at the mercy of the Hoggins.
King Graystone's vantage point offered him a clear view. He could see the entirety of the situation. Hoggin archers, spaced three feet apart, lined the top of the stone walls. Behind the wooden gate that led into the hamlet stood hundreds of Hoggin warriors armed with clubs, spears, and a few with iron short swords.
They are prepared for war. The dirty little creatures must know that someone would come looking for Caleb and Rasmere. I must come up with a plan and fast.
For an instant, he considered going back to regroup with Azonis and River, but remembered that he could not climb the steep cliff beside the waterfall. If he tried to find another way up, he could wander through the Dead Lands for days. This idea did not interest Thaddeus.
Thaddeus shuffled his feet when he saw the Hoggins drag Rasmere and Caleb toward two large poles in the center of the hamlet. As they hoisted Caleb up on the pole, he stirred. The Hoggins swarmed him, pelting him over the head with their tiny clubs until he lost consciousness again.
Lucky for them they attacked him so quickly. I do not feel they would like to have a rampaging lion running free amongst them.
Thaddeus ran this scenario through his mind. It brought a smile to his face.
They tied Caleb to one of the poles; Rasmere to the other.
This is not good.
The Hoggins piled up dead wood around the bottom of the poles. They looked like a colony of ants hard at work.
A hulking creature stomped his way out of one of the structures inside of the hamlet. Five times the size of the others, he was a giant of his kind and without a doubt their leader. He carried a rusty, iron war hammer in one hand, a torch in the other.
By the gods! They are going to burn them alive!
Adrenaline coursed through Thaddeus's veins. An acidic taste filled his mouth. He spat on the ground. Thaddeus had to act soon, or his friends would become a charred feast for the tiny savages.
What am I to do? It would be suicide to charge the front gate. If I somehow make it past their archers, I would then have to contend with a small army. Think Thaddeus, think! I am the King of Galdarath. I destroyed the Black Suns and the Shadows. There must be a way. I am a mighty warrior. I am Thaddeus the Invincible. There has to be a way . . .That is it! I am Thaddeus the Invincible.
Thaddeus drew his dragon bone axe, wrenching the handle in his meaty hands. He narrowed his eyes, gave the hamlet one final look, and stood up from behind the tree. It is time to test my name.
King Graystone bound toward the hamlet taking high, long, strides. He made it within a few hundred feet of the front gate when his white and gold suite of armor caught the eye of the archers atop the wall. One archer put a horn to his lips and gave it a mighty puff. Without hesitation the archers let loose a barrage of arrows. Thaddeus's armor was solid and did not have many exposed areas. A great number of arrows struck the King, but he plowed forward as they clanged off of his armor. He wished that he had his helmet, but he had forgotten it in his pack at the ambush site.
Thaddeus made it to the gate unscathed. The archers kept reigning arrows down upon him as he stood with his back to the gate. He did not want to press his luck any more than he already had. He knew that he must find a way into the hamlet.
King Graystone looked around for any means to gain entry. The hamlet was solid . . . or was it? The hamlet had stood for hundreds of years, and the weather had taken its toll on the wooden gate. Thaddeus noticed the wood was black and moss had overtaken it. He took a step back and drove his shoulder into the gate. He fell inside as the gate exploded open.
The Hoggin warriors waiting inside jumped back with Thaddeus's unexpected entry. He scrambled to his feet and began his attack.
The battle that ensued did not last long. Once Thaddeus swung his axe, he seemed to have lost all recollection of the events that followed. When Thaddeus came to his senses, dark red blood dripped from his armor and hundreds upon hundreds of the Hoggins lay dead on the ground, most of them cut in half. His braided ponytail and scruffy beard acted as a magnet to the Hoggins's blood. He stood panting in front of Rasmere and Caleb, who were still unconscious and fastened to the wooden poles. Thaddeus walked over to cut them down when something called out to him.
"No! No move further, Human."
Thaddeus turned to see the war hammer wielding Hoggin standing behind him.
"You go! You go now! Take friends and go. Take friends, leave us be!"
"I fear it is too late for that. You should have never attacked us."
"We just do what Lord of Dead command. Too much blood. Too much dead. Leave from here. Leave us be!" the large Hoggin said once more.
Rage grew inside of Thaddeus. The Hoggins now served Hasbarie, the person responsible for the death of Emilia, or at least sided with him.
"I cannot leave. Not now. You have chosen the wrong side in this war. We shall see if Hasbarie is truly your lord. If the Dark Wizard is as faithful to you, as you are to him, this death will not be your end," Thaddeus said as he advanced upon the giant Hoggin, dropping his axe and drawing his swords.
"I King Ta-Rook! I not defeated!" the Hoggin King roared.
Ta-Rook hoisted his war hammer high above his head and brought it down with all of his might. Thaddeus rolled out of the way and swiped at the King with his sword. Ta-Rook bellowed out in pain as Thaddeus's sword took off his floppy ear at the base of his head. Crimson blood gushed from Ta-Rook's head like a fountain. The King charged Thaddeus, swinging his hammer with all his might. Thaddeus leapt backwards several times to avoid being crushed by the violent blows.
Ta-Rook raised his hammer high in the air again, but before he could swing, Thaddeus threw the sword in his off hand. The dragon bone blade sank deep in Ta-Rook's stomach. The Hoggin King's hammer fell from his hands and thudded on the ground behind him.
He stood, looking confused, his eyes fluttered as he tried to pull the blade from his stomach. Thaddeus walked over to Ta-Rook and brought his other blade upward from his waist. His sword went through the bottom of Ta-Rook's jaw and came out the top of his head. For a few seconds the Hoggin King tried to speak, but Thaddeus's blade stayed his words. King Graystone ripped the blade out of Ta-Rook's head and walked away. Ta-Rook fell to his knees with a shower of blood flowing from his jaw. He collapsed onto the ground. Within moments, a river of blood surrounded his body.
Thaddeus drew a dagger and cut at the ropes around Rasmere's hands.
"Where are we?" Rasmere asked, opening his eyes.
"We are in the Dead Lands," Thaddeus replied.
A look of worry fell over Rasmere. "What are we doing here?" he asked.
"Do you not remember?" King Graystone asked.
"The last thing I can recall was floating down the river," Rasmere answered.
"A tribe of Hoggins ambushed us. They brought you and Caleb here," said Thaddeus.
Thaddeus cut the last length of rope that bound Rasmere's wrists, freeing him from his prison.
Rasmere rubbed at the rope burns on his wrist
s.
"Help me with Caleb," Thaddeus said.
Rasmere helped Thaddeus cut down Caleb. They tried to rouse him, but he was in a deep state of unconsciousness.
"He has a nasty lump on his head. He will probably be out for a while," Thaddeus said as he laid Caleb on his side.
Rasmere surveyed the bloody battlefield. Why is he alone? "Where is Azonis and River?" he asked, looking around, expecting to see them at any moment.
"They stayed behind. We were attacked shortly after you and Caleb fell into the river. River was rendered unconscious as well," Thaddeus replied.
"You rescued us . . . alone?" Rasmere asked.
"Yes," Thaddeus answered.
Rasmere stared at him in wonder. There looked to be over seven hundred Hoggins dead on the ground, not to mention their hulking leader.
How could Thaddeus have done this alone?
The King was a great warrior, but this was a feat that seemed impossible for anyone.
Could Thaddeus have really stormed this hamlet, evaded the archers, defeated the warriors, and slew their King?
However it happened, he was thankful for Thaddeus's heroic actions.
"Thaddeus," Rasmere said. "Thank you."
"You are welcome. You would have done the same for me," King Graystone replied.
"That I would," Rasmere replied. I may not have been as successful.
They sat around waiting for Caleb to awaken. It would have been too cumbersome to carry him out of the Dead Lands. For the most part, Rasmere and Thaddeus said little to one another. They were both tired and concerned for the well-being of Azonis and River. Thaddeus, for a fleeting moment, regretted leaving them behind, but he knew that if he would have waited much longer, Rasmere and Caleb would be dead.
But what if River and Azonis are dead? It is foolish to think such things. They can defend themselves.
Two hours passed since Thaddeus rescued Caleb and Rasmere. If Azonis and River had left to seek them out, it would be unwise to go wandering about the Dead Lands in search of an alternate route. Thaddeus did not want to be long separated from his party in this place, for he feared what terrors the night might bring.
"It will be best if we wait for River and Azonis here," Thaddeus said. "What do you think, Rasmere?"
"I agree. If we cannot go back the way we came, it will be best to stay here. Perhaps if Caleb is feeling up to it when he regains consciousness, he can fly back up and regroup with them," said Rasmere.
I wish I could fly right about now. "Perhaps," Thaddeus said as he drug a dragon tooth across the edge of one of his swords. "This is a dangerous place to sit idle. The stronger our group is, the better off we will be. I certainly do not want to be stuck in this place without them."
"Ugggghhhh," Caleb moaned.
"He is waking," Thaddeus said. "Come help me."
They went to Caleb's side and helped him to a seated position.
"What happened?" Caleb asked as he ran his fingers over the many lumps on his head. "I've got to stop waking up like this. The next time we are near a town, I got to invest in a helmet."